NIGERIA: FG To Rebuild Police Colleges Ahead Of Tinubu’s 30,000 Officers Recruitment Drive

By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria 

The Federal Government has announced plans to rebuild and equip police training colleges across the country before commencing the recruitment of 30,000 new police personnel approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

This was disclosed by the Presidential Ad Hoc Committee on the Overhaul of Security Training Institutions during an inspection visit to the Police Training College in Nonwa, Rivers State. The committee is chaired by Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, with Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun as a member.

Governor Mbah said the recruitment exercise will not proceed until the country’s security training facilities are rebuilt and fully equipped.

He said: “There’s no way recruitment can happen if we do not have proper training grounds for the men and women who protect our communities.”

He noted that the initiative followed a direct mandate from President Tinubu, who personally inaugurated the committee, a move he described as a declaration of emergency on security training infrastructure.

“This is being treated as a national emergency. The first phase will last one month, during which rebuilding and re-equipping will begin,” Mbah added.

Governor Abiodun described the reform as a “clear demonstration of the President’s political will” to strengthen internal security.

He said: “You cannot recruit 30,000 policemen and train them in this kind of environment. The President is acting decisively.”

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara hailed the initiative as a bold and practical step toward professionalising the Nigerian Police Force.

The committee has divided into northern and southern teams and is expected to deliver a comprehensive refurbishment report within four weeks, paving the way for the recruitment to begin.